We have put together some ideas on what to experience either before you leave or while you visit this beautiful and enchanting country. From literature to cuisine, accommodations to historical attractions, or simply souvenirs, you will find it here. Simply click on a tab above to read more about the topic.
Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca
One of the largest and most spectacular mosques in the world, the newly constructed Hassan II Mosque covers two hectares of land. It has a prayer hall that can accommodate 25,000 worshippers and a piazza that can accommodate another 80,000. It also has the world's tallest minaret, soaring 200 meters above the city. The mosque is a monument to Moroccan craftsmanship, built by 3,300 craftsmen hailing from every corner of the country. These artisans installed 53,000 square meters of carved wood, 67,000 square meters of plastering and 10,000 square meters of sculpted ornamentation. The mosque also features a retractable roof which can transform the mosque interior into a vast open courtyard.
One of the largest and most spectacular mosques in the world, the newly constructed Hassan II Mosque covers two hectares of land. It has a prayer hall that can accommodate 25,000 worshippers and a piazza that can accommodate another 80,000. It also has the world's tallest minaret, soaring 200 meters above the city. The mosque is a monument to Moroccan craftsmanship, built by 3,300 craftsmen hailing from every corner of the country. These artisans installed 53,000 square meters of carved wood, 67,000 square meters of plastering and 10,000 square meters of sculpted ornamentation. The mosque also features a retractable roof which can transform the mosque interior into a vast open courtyard.
La Mamounia Hotel - Marrakesh
Often frequented by the world's celebrities and known for its distinguished clientele, this member of "The Leading Hotels of the World" is one of the finest hotels in Morocco. A combination of Moorish and art deco style, it is a serene oasis situated in central Marrakech.
Often frequented by the world's celebrities and known for its distinguished clientele, this member of "The Leading Hotels of the World" is one of the finest hotels in Morocco. A combination of Moorish and art deco style, it is a serene oasis situated in central Marrakech.
A Moroccan meal, when prepared for guests, is a whole ceremony. Typically, the setting in which you are hosted is a reception room furnished with plush divans along the walls, carpets on the floor, and low, ornate tables within reach. A person, generally a member of the family, comes in with an aiguière, a basin, a bar of soap, and a towel. He allows the guests to wash their hands before they eat. Then, it is the master of the house, who upon uttering "Bismillah" (literally meaning, "in the name of god") which is the grace of Moslems, invites the guests to the meal. Dishes are served in a specific order, and couscous is generally the last course.
Couscous
It is the national dish. It is generally composed of wheat semolina steamed over a stew of lamb or chicken accompanied with vegetables and garbanzo beans. It should be mentioned that the preparation of couscous varies from one region to the other; e.g., the seven-vegetable couscous prepared in Casablanca, etc. Couscous is traditionally eaten with the fingers, though presently the use of spoons is becoming more and more common.
Meshoui
Oven-roasted or barbecued lamb. Generally, the lamb is supported by two forks and is set at a certain height of the blaze. It is a succulent dish which usually starts a feast.
Bastilla
Thin flaky pastry stuffed with pigeon and almonds.
Tajines
Stew of lamb or poultry, garnished with olives, and almonds or prunes.
Harira
It is a thick soup with small meat cubes, lentils, garbanzo beans, beans, tomatoes, and exotic spices specific to this dish.
Beverages
Tea, the national drink, is served in glasses at all times and everywhere. It has mint flavour, is very sweet, and is sometimes seasoned with orange-tree blossoms.
Pastries
Lots of honey and almonds. The "gazelle horn," a crescent-shaped almond pastry is an irresistible temptation for the gourmet.
Milk with Dates
It is a gift symbol of Moroccan hospitality.
Couscous
It is the national dish. It is generally composed of wheat semolina steamed over a stew of lamb or chicken accompanied with vegetables and garbanzo beans. It should be mentioned that the preparation of couscous varies from one region to the other; e.g., the seven-vegetable couscous prepared in Casablanca, etc. Couscous is traditionally eaten with the fingers, though presently the use of spoons is becoming more and more common.
Meshoui
Oven-roasted or barbecued lamb. Generally, the lamb is supported by two forks and is set at a certain height of the blaze. It is a succulent dish which usually starts a feast.
Bastilla
Thin flaky pastry stuffed with pigeon and almonds.
Tajines
Stew of lamb or poultry, garnished with olives, and almonds or prunes.
Harira
It is a thick soup with small meat cubes, lentils, garbanzo beans, beans, tomatoes, and exotic spices specific to this dish.
Beverages
Tea, the national drink, is served in glasses at all times and everywhere. It has mint flavour, is very sweet, and is sometimes seasoned with orange-tree blossoms.
Pastries
Lots of honey and almonds. The "gazelle horn," a crescent-shaped almond pastry is an irresistible temptation for the gourmet.
Milk with Dates
It is a gift symbol of Moroccan hospitality.
LEATHERS
Morocco has a thousand types of Morocco leather-working: all of which are of old tradition -in Fes and Marrakesh a whole district is reserved to tanners. Fes, Marrakesh : wallets, desk sets, babouches, leather poufs, etc... Tetouan, Shefshaouen, Taghzout : multiple-compartment bags, leather- covered earthenware, plates, and belts. Marrakech :Camel saddles (used as seats).
METALS
Copper
The Maghrebian household uses a great deal of copper industry products because cooper is a material which captures dazzling light. Wrought irons They are worked into candleholders, lampshades, bars, mousharabies, and mirror frames. They are wrought in Marrakesh, Safi, Fes, etc...
JEWELRY
Silver is worked in the villages of the plateaus and in the mountains. It is a precious metal valued in the rural areas while gold is very sought after in cities. Silver, by itself or combined with coral and amber, makes heavy and stern jewels: Fibulae, chains, necklaces, forehead diadems, bracelets, and anklets. The southern mountains, the Anti-Atlas and the Bani represent the stock house of Berber jewelry. The silver jewels worn by the nomads are sold in the markets of the south: Goulimine-Tiznit- Risani and Tan-Tan.
Gold
By itself or combined with emeralds, pearls, and Turquoise, gold composes more fragile and refined jewels: Rings, necklaces, pendants and diadems. Gold is worked in these cities: Fes, Essaouira, Tangier. If women crave for jewels, so do their husbands they value the sumptuous gold and silver daggers inlaid with precious stones.
Morocco has a thousand types of Morocco leather-working: all of which are of old tradition -in Fes and Marrakesh a whole district is reserved to tanners. Fes, Marrakesh : wallets, desk sets, babouches, leather poufs, etc... Tetouan, Shefshaouen, Taghzout : multiple-compartment bags, leather- covered earthenware, plates, and belts. Marrakech :Camel saddles (used as seats).
METALS
Copper
The Maghrebian household uses a great deal of copper industry products because cooper is a material which captures dazzling light. Wrought irons They are worked into candleholders, lampshades, bars, mousharabies, and mirror frames. They are wrought in Marrakesh, Safi, Fes, etc...
JEWELRY
Silver is worked in the villages of the plateaus and in the mountains. It is a precious metal valued in the rural areas while gold is very sought after in cities. Silver, by itself or combined with coral and amber, makes heavy and stern jewels: Fibulae, chains, necklaces, forehead diadems, bracelets, and anklets. The southern mountains, the Anti-Atlas and the Bani represent the stock house of Berber jewelry. The silver jewels worn by the nomads are sold in the markets of the south: Goulimine-Tiznit- Risani and Tan-Tan.
Gold
By itself or combined with emeralds, pearls, and Turquoise, gold composes more fragile and refined jewels: Rings, necklaces, pendants and diadems. Gold is worked in these cities: Fes, Essaouira, Tangier. If women crave for jewels, so do their husbands they value the sumptuous gold and silver daggers inlaid with precious stones.
CARPET WEAVING
Moroccan carpets are known for their beauty. There are two types of carpets- rural and urban carpets. The best place to buy urban carpets are in Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakesh. The best place to buy rural carpets are Berber carpets of the Middle Atlas (Azrou); of the region of Zadrs (Oulmes), of Shishaoua (Marrakesh), and of Aït Ouaourguite (Ouarzazate).
COOPERIES
Moroccan carpenters and carftsmen work mainly cedar wood. Essaouira is specialized in inlaid-work, small boxes (jewel cases, etc...) pedestal tables, chess-boards made of thuja embellished with ebony, lemon-trees, and cedar. Fes and Tetouan are specialized in painted boxes and cradles. Fes and Meknes are specialized in mousharabies and lattice work composed of small machine-turned wooden elements of cedar worked in such a way that, once assembled, they present sophisticated geometrical shapes.
CERAMICS
Clay is turned into jars, vases, plates or plain dishes (tajines). It is generally embellished with touches of tar or illuminated with sophisticated arabesques. The most famous pottery is made in Fes and Safi. Sale is specialized in decorative pottery with colored glazing.
EMBROIDERY
The dark-blue Fes embroideries are the most famous ones. Those of Rabat-Salé, Meknes, Azemmour, and Tetouan are famous as well. This needlework is executed with bright-colored silk threads and bears the name of the place where it is embroidered. The embroideries are realized on table-cloths, table-sets, (napkins and table-cloth), fancy-works, velvet or gold and silver lamé silk Kaftans.
THE STONES
The soft stone of Taroudant is used in carving boxes and inventive paper-weights. These objects are chiseled into rough geometrical decorations. Unworked mountain stones such as quartz, amethysts, manganese, crystals, etc... are sold along the roadsides of the Grand and Middle Atlas.
BASKETWORK
Baskets, frails, trays, colored straw-boxes are hand-made in almost every village. In the Rif (region of Tangier and Tetouan) country-women wear huge hats. Basket-work souks can also be found in cities such as Fes, Marrakesh and Salé.
Moroccan carpets are known for their beauty. There are two types of carpets- rural and urban carpets. The best place to buy urban carpets are in Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakesh. The best place to buy rural carpets are Berber carpets of the Middle Atlas (Azrou); of the region of Zadrs (Oulmes), of Shishaoua (Marrakesh), and of Aït Ouaourguite (Ouarzazate).
COOPERIES
Moroccan carpenters and carftsmen work mainly cedar wood. Essaouira is specialized in inlaid-work, small boxes (jewel cases, etc...) pedestal tables, chess-boards made of thuja embellished with ebony, lemon-trees, and cedar. Fes and Tetouan are specialized in painted boxes and cradles. Fes and Meknes are specialized in mousharabies and lattice work composed of small machine-turned wooden elements of cedar worked in such a way that, once assembled, they present sophisticated geometrical shapes.
CERAMICS
Clay is turned into jars, vases, plates or plain dishes (tajines). It is generally embellished with touches of tar or illuminated with sophisticated arabesques. The most famous pottery is made in Fes and Safi. Sale is specialized in decorative pottery with colored glazing.
EMBROIDERY
The dark-blue Fes embroideries are the most famous ones. Those of Rabat-Salé, Meknes, Azemmour, and Tetouan are famous as well. This needlework is executed with bright-colored silk threads and bears the name of the place where it is embroidered. The embroideries are realized on table-cloths, table-sets, (napkins and table-cloth), fancy-works, velvet or gold and silver lamé silk Kaftans.
THE STONES
The soft stone of Taroudant is used in carving boxes and inventive paper-weights. These objects are chiseled into rough geometrical decorations. Unworked mountain stones such as quartz, amethysts, manganese, crystals, etc... are sold along the roadsides of the Grand and Middle Atlas.
BASKETWORK
Baskets, frails, trays, colored straw-boxes are hand-made in almost every village. In the Rif (region of Tangier and Tetouan) country-women wear huge hats. Basket-work souks can also be found in cities such as Fes, Marrakesh and Salé.
Abd al-Rahman Ibn Mohammad Ibn Khaldun
Abd al-Rahman Ibn Mohammad Ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis in 732 A.H. (1332 C.E.) to an upper class family that had migrated from Seville in Muslim Spain.
He received his early education and where, still in his teens, he entered the service of the Egyptian ruler Sultan Barquq. During his formative years, Ibn Khaldun experienced his family's active participation in the intellectual life of the city, and to a lesser degree, its political life. This was followed by a long period of unrest marked by contemporary political rivalries affecting his career.
The uncertainty of his career still continued, with Egypt becoming his final abode where he spent his last 24 years. Here he lived a life of fame and respect, marked by his appointment as the Chief Malakite Judge and lecturing at the AL-Azhar University, but envy caused his removal from his high judicial office as many as five times.
Ibn Khaldun led a very active political life before he finally settled down to write his well-known masterpiece on history. He worked for rulers in Tunis and Fez (in Morocco), Granada (in Muslim Spain) and Biaja (in North Africa). In 1375, Ibn Khaldun crossed over to Muslim Spain (Granada) as a tired and embittered man solely for the reasons of escaping the turmoil in North Africa. Unfortunately, because of his political past, the ruler of Granada expelled him.
Ibn Khaldun's chief contribution lies in philosophy of history and sociology. He sought to write a world history preambled by a first volume aimed at an analysis of historical events. This volume, commonly known as Muqaddimah or 'Prolegomena', was based on Ibn Khaldun's unique approach and original contribution and became a masterpiece in literature on philosophy of history and sociology. The chief concern of this monumental work was to identify psychological, economic, environmental and social facts that contribute to the advancement of human civilization and the currents of history. In this context, he analyzed the dynamics of group relationships and showed how group feelings, al-'Asabiyya, give rise to the ascent of a new civilization and political power and how, later on, its diffusion into a more general civilization invites the advent of a still new 'Asabiyya in its pristine form. He identified an almost rhythmic repetition of rise and fall in human civilization, and analysed factors contributing to it.
His contribution to history is marked by the fact that, unlike most earlier writers interpreting history largely in a political context, he emphasized environmental, sociological, psychological and economic factors governing the apparent events. This revolutionized the science of history and also laid the foundation of Umraniyat (Sociology).
Apart from the Muqaddimah that became an important independent book even during the lifetime of the author, the other volumes of his world history Kitab al-I'bar deal with the history of Arabs, contemporary Muslim rulers, contemporary European rulers, ancient history of Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, etc., Islamic History, Egyptian history and North-African history, especially that of Berbers and tribes living in the adjoining areas. The last volume deals largely with the events of his own life and is known as Al-Tasrif. This was also written in a scientific manner and initiated a new analytical tradition in the art of writing autobiography A book on mathematics written by him is not extant.
Ibn Khaldun's influence on the subject of history, philosophy of history, sociology, political science and education has remained paramount ever since his life. His books have been translated into many languages, both in the East and the West, and have inspired subsequent development of these sciences.
Abd al-Rahman Ibn Mohammad Ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis in 732 A.H. (1332 C.E.) to an upper class family that had migrated from Seville in Muslim Spain.
He received his early education and where, still in his teens, he entered the service of the Egyptian ruler Sultan Barquq. During his formative years, Ibn Khaldun experienced his family's active participation in the intellectual life of the city, and to a lesser degree, its political life. This was followed by a long period of unrest marked by contemporary political rivalries affecting his career.
The uncertainty of his career still continued, with Egypt becoming his final abode where he spent his last 24 years. Here he lived a life of fame and respect, marked by his appointment as the Chief Malakite Judge and lecturing at the AL-Azhar University, but envy caused his removal from his high judicial office as many as five times.
Ibn Khaldun led a very active political life before he finally settled down to write his well-known masterpiece on history. He worked for rulers in Tunis and Fez (in Morocco), Granada (in Muslim Spain) and Biaja (in North Africa). In 1375, Ibn Khaldun crossed over to Muslim Spain (Granada) as a tired and embittered man solely for the reasons of escaping the turmoil in North Africa. Unfortunately, because of his political past, the ruler of Granada expelled him.
Ibn Khaldun's chief contribution lies in philosophy of history and sociology. He sought to write a world history preambled by a first volume aimed at an analysis of historical events. This volume, commonly known as Muqaddimah or 'Prolegomena', was based on Ibn Khaldun's unique approach and original contribution and became a masterpiece in literature on philosophy of history and sociology. The chief concern of this monumental work was to identify psychological, economic, environmental and social facts that contribute to the advancement of human civilization and the currents of history. In this context, he analyzed the dynamics of group relationships and showed how group feelings, al-'Asabiyya, give rise to the ascent of a new civilization and political power and how, later on, its diffusion into a more general civilization invites the advent of a still new 'Asabiyya in its pristine form. He identified an almost rhythmic repetition of rise and fall in human civilization, and analysed factors contributing to it.
His contribution to history is marked by the fact that, unlike most earlier writers interpreting history largely in a political context, he emphasized environmental, sociological, psychological and economic factors governing the apparent events. This revolutionized the science of history and also laid the foundation of Umraniyat (Sociology).
Apart from the Muqaddimah that became an important independent book even during the lifetime of the author, the other volumes of his world history Kitab al-I'bar deal with the history of Arabs, contemporary Muslim rulers, contemporary European rulers, ancient history of Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Romans, Persians, etc., Islamic History, Egyptian history and North-African history, especially that of Berbers and tribes living in the adjoining areas. The last volume deals largely with the events of his own life and is known as Al-Tasrif. This was also written in a scientific manner and initiated a new analytical tradition in the art of writing autobiography A book on mathematics written by him is not extant.
Ibn Khaldun's influence on the subject of history, philosophy of history, sociology, political science and education has remained paramount ever since his life. His books have been translated into many languages, both in the East and the West, and have inspired subsequent development of these sciences.